"Is something good because God commands it, or does God command it because it is good?"?

Question

This question is raised by Socrates in one of Plato's famous "Dialogues". It is a question for Ethics, regarding the nature or origin of goodness. For Christians, there is a clear distinction between what is good and what is not good. Does this goodness lie in the fact that God commanded something or did God command it because it is good?

If it is considered as good because God has commanded it, then the goodness as such lies in God - in other words, God is then the source of that commandment's goodness. If, on the other hand, it's goodness lies in the fact that God commanded something because it is good, then goodness is something outside of God - in other words, God cannot be considered as the source of goodness.

So, which (from these two) is the correct notion of goodness? Does God command something because it is good, or is something good because God has commanded it?

Answer 1

Arguably this is a false dilemma. The intriguing third way of dealing with this question is that God is logically equivalent to goodness ie what we call goodness IS God and what we call God IS goodness.



PS Hate to be really anally retentive over this but I think the question's actually in Kant's Groundwork



PPS With respect to all those who've gone along the 'God is dead' track, the question is actually about the inherent nature and source of moral value, not about the existence of God

Answer 2

There is "good" which is a moral sense of the word and "good" which is virtuous. Which one do you mean?



Furthermore, Plato and Socrates are not Christian and did not believe in a God like Christians. They were not Christian.



Also, your question presupposes the existence ofd a god and implies that anyone who answers it must only choose one or the other of your suggestions.



In addition the questions suffers from an anachronistic error. You imply that the question Plato asks is in reference to a Christian god when in fact Christianity did not exist at the time this question was asked. As such, Plato did not and could not have meant what you mean.



It is also possible that neither notion of godness is correct and you do not take into consideration this possiblity. Moreover, anybody who happens to have a notion of goodness which is not based on a montheistic notion of god is left out.



So to answer your question, I would say that the questions begs of itself and is riddled with fallacious reasoning. Therefore the question can not be answered because it is illogical.



The definition of the word "goodness" does not boil down to one of your choices. It can be something else and most certainly has been considered as such historically.



Lastly, atheists, agnostics, any religious person who does not believe in "one" god can not answer your question. This implies that these people can't think properly.

Answer 3

What's with all these round about answers? In any religion "God" is considered to be an originator and superviser of sorts, in the least. That being said, God commands things because they are good. God is not going to command anything that will destroy or stunt his own creation. If you made something, created it, in benevolence, would you command it to do things that would not be good for it and allow it to continue to exist? Commands are the means to positive control and propogation of species. Continuation of will. A god that does not command because it is good is not only tyrannical (in the case of making something good because he commands it to be so), but flawed in strategy. A god such as that will be quickly deposed.

Answer 4

God is the source of all goodness if not by command then by creation there is nothing created that God did no have a hand in.

This being said leaves the floor open for the statement, but God created Evil too, this is not true, Evil is to Good what darkness is to light, it is merely the absence or the rejection of goodness.

Satan rejected God, therefore he removed himself from God making himsel evil, much like if I remove myself from the sun I am in the dark.

Clear as mud right

Ultimately all things good come from God and apart from God there is nothing that is good

Answer 5

God is good. Not in the way that a child may be good or pizza is good. But rather, God is the state of goodness. Without God, nothing is good. Outside of God, there is no goodness. So the answer to your question is that things are good because God commands them.

Answer 6

From the very beginning, the Creator was called the Good! There was a typo error when Guttenberg used his typeset. Gut in German means good and Got-means God. All Good things come from the Father of Light, it is written! Now whether we receive good or not good depends on the choices we make in life. We all travel on the Wheel of Life and we all reap what we sew. When you show selflessness and giving, good returns to you. It doesn't matter what you give away, GOOD comes back to you not in always the same manner. This is what is referred to as Universal Law. Contrary, is the fact that many people have wrong intent instead of honorable and are selfish and greedy and it also comes back to bite them as well. All things in Creation are good, even the darkness which gives form to the light!

Answer 7

Neither! The argument it itself is just incorrect.

1. you have no proof of the existence of God

2. even if you did, good and bad don't depend on what God thinks, its depends on what each indivudual thinks.



But to answer the question I'd pick that something is good because God has commanded it. (But then again doesn't he command bad stuff too.?)



Ok heres the problem with good/bad and God:

Think about the prostitues of brazillian slums. They practice reproduction alot and therefore get pregnant alot, but because they are so poor and can't even feed themselves (hey they get stiffed alot on payment), the babies always come out malnourished, so then the mothers say "ohh it's an angel from GOD" and stick it in the corner to die. (it's a angel, you see, it belongs in heaven) Christians in america might look at this killing of innocent babies as bad, but the brazillian slum prostitues think of this as good (and yes they feel they have God's support in that goodness)

Answer 8

Allow me to suggest a third alternative.



God commands different things of different believers: for example, God commands Jews not to eat pork, but does not command Christians to do so (in fact, Easter dinner is often ham!). So clearly what God commands is not necessarily "good" in the ideal sense of the term (as in Platonic ideals), but it is part of a particular covenant that God makes with a particular group.



Thus, commandments are "proper" for a particular group because God commands them to be. Some commandments may be universally "good" (Thou shalt not murder), but not all commandments are universally "good."

Answer 9

Well, that depends on your belief of either Divine Command theory 1 or DC theory 2- they are both (as you might speculate) related to God. However, divine command theory (1) is dependent on God's will, meaning God creates goodness because he (or she, it) is the source of goodness; with Gods existence comes goodness. The second theory is objective as well, except goodness (morality, if you will) is logically independent of God's will. This (in its utmost basic form, forgive me) means it is the rational beings duty to find out what is morally right/ not right. DV2 is more popular among contemporary ethicist because it allows ethics to be objective without a touch of God.

Answer 10

Wiggenstein, the past-master of 20th century philosophy put it very aptly that ethics is a condition of the world (as logic is). Accordingly, something is good independent of God's command.

That is, God commands something because something is good.

This does not, to be sure, tell upon God's omnipotence at all.

Answer 11

Something may be good because God commanded it; but all that God commands it not necessarily good. Finally goodness does not always depend on God.

Answer 12

Philosophically, this question is invalid because it is incomplete; that is to say : the central premiss upon which it is based (namely, that the existence of God may simply be assumed to be a given) cannot logically be considered as it stands. In order that the question may be posed correctly, it is neccessary [either] that (a) the question be prefaced with a sentence (such as) " Let us ASSUME that it is BEYOND DOUBT that God exists..." or (perhaps) better still (b) to proceed by engaging (formally) with the various philosophical arguments that have been advanced (to provide proof[s] for the existence of God (e.g. The ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT [ANSELM or DESCARTES] or the ARGUMENT FROM DESIGN) in order to satisfactorily demonstrate the "truth(s)" of those argument(s) logically and thereby provide the "completeness" required for the question to be considered valid.

As it is implied here that the questioner "believes" the existence of God to be a certainty, he is therefore obligated (in order to pose a legitimate PHILOSOPHICAL [not a RELIGIOUS] question for the benefit both of believers and skeptics/ non-believers), to formulate the question correctly. Once [these] preliminaries have been observed, one may then proceed to address the actual problem(s) raised by the original question.

It should be noted in conclusion that : where the question (as it stands) is posed rather (from the standpoint of religion) for consideration by "believers" who already accept the existence of God as a "given" (ACT OF FAITH) it may (then) only be considered to be a matter for "theology" and as a result, it remains firmly outside the sphere of PHILOSOPHY, where logic (and not "matters of faith") have true jurisdiction. / j_j_j.











































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Answer 13

I believe (and it is only my belief) that God gets the blame and the credit too esily for everything. He gave us free will - so if we invent something or find something which is good and it is used for the good is that then attributed to God for having given us the brain or to the human being for working it out. If there is a war then God is not to blame it is either the devil or human beings in their sin. So is goodness of God or outside God? Depends on your point of view. Personally I believe their is a piece of God and the devil in all of us and it depends where your conscience takes you. If God is all around and inside each one of us the goodness is of Him, of Us and around it all at the same time! I think?!?

Answer 14

both.



GOD commands s to do something b/c He knows it is good for us, such as only having sex with someone with whom you are commited, if we had been obedient to this we would not have AIDS or any of the other STD's (lets not blame it on Homosexuals, b/c we are all at fault if we've been promiscuous.)



or not not eat certain things, b/c they are not healthy for us.



He desires us to be joyful, and safe, so He is like the loving parent who tells their child not to touch the hot burner.



likewise, it is also good b/c GOD commands it. when the creater of everything says "this is Good", it is.

Answer 15

Sometimes what one human being considers good, is not good for others. In which case, all goodness is God's commandment.

Answer 16

term "commands" would be a big historical error. I would propose "suggestions"...when God create everything He said "It is GOOD" Who we are to judge it? If everything is good...there will be good which you do not need, and there is plenty left. Actually there is a law, one love at the time. Today one good , tomorrow another...all one have to do just choose without judgment, what one really want now.

Answer 17

Something is good because God commands it.

Answer 18

No, God actually commands good, but also has created a way to command not so good to happen to people who do not try to follow his way, so it's good not to leave our selves open to the other aspect.

Answer 19

I believe it is good because God commands it, all the confusion in some of the other answers is from our FREE WILL, we are free to choose to believe or not.



I would rather live my life believing in God, dying and finding out there's not than live my life not believing, dying and finding out there is....

Answer 20

I will say this much: those who believe that something is good because God commands it, rather than the other way around, frighten me.

Answer 21

god doesn't exist, except in the minds of those whose lives are otherwise unfulfilled.

People decide what is good and what isn't. Unfortunately, what is good for some isn't for others. Hence wars, etc.



It's a good question, but as soon as you accept that this life is it then it has no meaning (the Q, not life)

Answer 22

Being a fan of natural epistemology and an atheist, I'm not gonna try and answer this one, I just find it hilarious someone would ask this question considering Plato didn't even answer it in the dialog he proposed it in.

Answer 23

immaterial question. in my opinion, God puts u here and that is where it ends. He neither commands or does not. I.E, takes no interest in your affairs. His gift to u and his only obligation was to give u life. The rest is up to u! Quit whining!

Answer 24

Good exists because there is bad. Both the work of God.

Answer 25

This precludes an equation of god and good. More interesting is the assumption that bad can replace good in this equation. It also initiates the presumption that god has bad in him/her or that god is capable of intervention when things go baaad.



dadaboy47

Answer 26

God is perfect his plan is perfect.

He is the author of the plan for mankind who is imperfect the reason one needed a saviour.

God's essence is made up of Sovereignty,righteousness, justice.

love, He is all knowing, He has all power,and He is everywhere.

He is eternal .

Jesus said I am the alpha and the omega the beginning and the end.

God is integrity.

Answer 27

Good and Bad are two sides of the same coin,created by GOD

Answer 28

Something is good because YOU command it to be.

Answer 29

Can you spot the difference between a truth and a truth? One is mixed with orange juice the other with lemon. It's the Zen of it ain't it?

Answer 30

Just put an extra "O" in God's name (between the "o" and the "d" and you will find the answer to your question...it will become clear....

Answer 31

Everything that god says for us to do is for the greater good. We should never question GOD because he knows what is best for his people.God is and trusting and listens to us whenever we talk to him we sometimes ask for things that are selfish and not what we need.

Answer 32

Neither...

A) Don't exist



B) Just as some bully with magic powers says something is good don't make it so

Answer 33

Gods a d**k head, kick him in the guts and push him into a field of asbestos!

Answer 34

god commands it cause its good

Answer 35

the first.

Answer 36

If God exists, whatever you do either, will, or won't be forgiven.

If God doesn't exist, who cares?

Just do whatever feels 'right' to you!

Answer 37

at one time we tortured people to death because some people told us that god commanded it.

need i say more?

Answer 38

what is good/right? what is bad/wrong?

i dont belive in good or bad, but i respect the laws and commandment of the SOCIETY im living in... WHAT IS SOCIETY BUT A SET OF LAWS, A SET OF TRADITIONS, A SET OF RELIGION(GOD), AND A SET OF VALUSE, IS IT NOT?

RESPECT IS NEITHER GOOD NOR BAD, ITS THINKING OF OTHERS BEFORE YOU MAKE YOUR MOVE. AND THINKING OF OTHERS BEFORE MOVING IS SERVICE, SERVICE TO YOUR GOD, SERVICE TO YOUR PEOPLE, SERVICE TO YOUR GOVERNMENT, SERVICE TO YOUR SOCIETY...

Answer 39

So how come it's a command? Why can't it be inate?

Answer 40

goodness does not require God....

Answer 41

Neither. Something is good, because it is obedient.

Answer 42

The latter, without any doubt.

Answer 43

Who is this 'God' you speak of?

Answer 44

because its good

Answer 45

is there a difference?

Answer 46

Neither...its all in your head...

Answer 47

yes.